The Versatile Clumber Spaniel -- Gun Dog, Tracking Dog, Companion Dog 
Not Just Another Pretty Face!  by Marianne Stone

One of the less well-known flushing spaniels is the Clumber.

While the dog is officially known as the King of Spaniels by its admirers, and much beloved by pheasant, woodcock, and grouse hunters around the world, it is not widely known by hunters in the United States.

We, as admirers and fanciers of this hard-working, determined, gun dog enjoy the looks we receive from other hunters when our Clumber flushes a bird in a field that has been previously hunted and declared empty of gamebirds.

No, our dogs are not the hares of the flushing spaniel world; they are the tortoises -- slow, steady and very sure.  Ch. Leybel Vagabond, better known as Bond, looked forward to the cool fall days each year when we hopped into the truck and head out for a day of good hunting. And with Bond in the lead to flush the waiting pheasants, every day in the field was a good day of hunting.

While little is known of the Clumber Spaniel's origins, it is believed that the breed originated in France and that a few were brought to England during the French Revolution as a protective measure by the Duke of Newcastle. The Duke and his gamekeeper have been immortalized in a painting done in 1778 at the Duke's home, Clumber Park. No doubt this accounts for the breed's name, as these dogs were most likely our present day Clumber's ancestors.

What is well known is that these dogs were jealously guarded by principal families and that the breed came to the attention of King Edward the Seventh, who loved and used the Clumber for hunting. Both he and King George the Fifth used these lovely dogs on the rough terrain at Sandringham. The dogs were admired not only for their hunting ability but for their strength and endurance.

When England joined the Allied Forces in World War II, the numbers of Clumbers declined greatly due to the costs associated with the care, keeping and feeding of such large dogs. What?? Did you read this correctly? Yes, you did. The Clumber is a Large Dog. We call it a well knit animal. It is a big dog with a massive frame in a low-slung, powerful body. Males usually weigh 70 pounds and up. Females weigh in at 50 - 65 pounds.

Even though he is a heavy dog, he is surprisingly agile and extremely active. His driving force in the field comes from powerful hind quarters, muscular thighs, and strong boning. He has well-set shoulders, and thick, straight, heavily boned forelegs. He is basically a white, long-haired dog with lemon or orange markings mainly about the head, with freckles on muzzle and speckles on the legs. He has a large square head, massive but in keeping with size, a kindly, intelligent expression, and eyes that show the haws -- or hound type eyes -- sweet and expressive.

The Clumber has no equal as a companion or family dog. But in all fairness, it is not the dog for everyone. He has a heavy, silky, white coat which he sheds with every step he takes. Since he is low to the ground, with long silky hair hanging down, he picks up burrs, twigs, mud and water in his coat. But, the burrs and twigs comb out easily with a rake, and when the coat dries, the mud brushes right out. The breed salivates freely, especially males. There are genetic faults in the breed -- mainly entropian and ectropian eyes and hip dysplasia. While we have many Clumbers free from these defects, the genes which cause them are recessive making it difficult to eradicate the faults entirely.

We are fortunate that the Clumber Spaniel is blessed with dedicated breeders who are working diligently to overcome these defects. Unfortunately, this is a slow process. The Clumber Spaniel Club of America's description of the dog's hunting style best allows a reader to visualize just how our dogs work. This description was developed by Darrell Reeves and adopted by the club in 1996 to help educate judges who were unfamiliar with our breed. Quoted paragraphs follow:

"Clumbers were first recognized as a distinct English breed in the mid 1700s. ...During this period of time, the Clumber was selectively bred for use in hedgerows and gorse. This was a very tough, woody stemmed cover. It was similar to the hardwood thickets, briars and swamp that are traditional grouse cover in American today. Sporting dogs developed specifically for this type of cover have a unique hunting style. A dog that hunts fast and hard in this hardwood type of cover will soon cripple himself. So, Clumbers were developed to hunt at a trot or a pace. It is a gait in which one front foot and the opposite rear foot move simultaneously. This is very different from the gait of a wheat field dog which normally drives off both hind feet simultaneously in a bounding or running gait. This woody type of cover had a canopy of leaves which held in scent and slowed the wind currents. This required a dog which was much more of a tracker than one which was developed to use his nose more than his feet. 

Even today, he does not tend to cover every square inch of ground with his feet in hopes of startling birds he does not scent. Rather, he moves more slowly in order to catch the faintest of scents. If there is no scent, he will calmly discard an area and move on to new cover. This gives the Clumber a very lackadaisical appearance when covering ground which is devoid of bird scent. 

Since the original cover was so difficult to penetrate, it required a dog with tremendous drive and determination to fight through the brush when birds were scented. A fast hard flush was physically impossible, so the Clumber had to be very persistent on the trail until the bird was forced to the edge of the cover. 

Today's Clumber should come alive when he hits bird scent, should show strong determination to explore the faintest scent and should be very persistent as he works it out. Jim Spencer, noted author, described it as a painstakingly thorough search at the slightest indication of scent. ......a Clumber approaches every bird as though it is a cripple that he is intent on catching. He slows down when approaching the bird, stalking it like a cat, often crouching the last few steps before pouncing on the bird. He will attempt to bat down a flushing bird with his feet and pin it to the ground. If he is successful this can result in a dead bird with no marks on it. You will never see a Clumber stick his nose under a bird and boot it into the air. 

To summarize: The Clumbers are slow moving spaniels who normally hunt at a trot which they can maintain all day. They may appear to be rather casual on barren fields, but come alive when they hit bird scent. They demonstrate excellent noses as they investigate scent thoroughly. Once on scent, they are persistent as they work it out and show intense desire to catch the bird before it flushes. Their water retrieving is adequate for close decoy hunting. Their water entry is deliberate and their swimming speed moderate."

One further piece of interesting information about the breed is that the Clumber is also one of the few dogs to ever be the victim of a King's wrath. The Duke of Wales, the English Monarch who in the earlier part of this century gave up his throne to marry Wallis Simpson, ordered all the royal Clumbers killed as one of his first orders upon learning that his father had died and he was King of England. Here I quote Andy Shaw, Greencourt Clumber Spaniels, England.  

"Unlike his father, King George V, Edward took no interest in shooting. He disliked most blood sports. He even disliked the gundogs that retrieved the fallen birds. Above all he hated the big Clumber spaniels, lop-eared and docile, which were bred at Sandringham. A fastidious man, he was offended by their slobbering and the way they traipsed mud into the house. Now, after a day in the field as he lowered his gun, Edward saw an elderly Clumber panting nearby. A heavy handsome animal, it ambled towards the Prince. Then it raised its hind leg and gave the Royal plus fours (trousers) a soaking. It is said by owners that this is the breed's way of showing friendship. King George roared with laughter, and all the beaters and loaders stifled chuckles. Only Edward remained unamused. 

The incident in 1929, strengthened his resolve to make sweeping changes when he became King. At 11.55pm on Jan 20, 1936, King George died at Sandringham. Edward slipped away to his room and phoned Freddie Bland (the Gamekeeper). " Take those wretched dogs out and SHOOT them- every single one of them, and do it straight away." Freddie had no choice to obey the King. This was a time when royal orders were not questioned. Freddie and some of his Gamekeeper friends smuggled some of the pups and breeding bitches away to neighbouring farms. The rest of the Clumbers were taken out and shot."

Kennels around the world have very interesting names concerning the Clumber. Perhaps one which helps identify the Clumber is one in Finland, called Hoslyposken. Translated loosely it means "Shaker of Wet Cheeks" something our Clumbers do often. Nonsuch Kennels in South Africa has introduced the breed to people living there and in just a few short years the Clumber has become the Number One Gun Dog in that country.

Here in the USA, several kennels  have worked successfully to introduce the Clumber to people throughout the country.  A Clumber has even won the coveted Best In Show award at The Wesminster Kennel Club Dog Show.   

It is through hard work that the Clumber is beginning to be recognized not only as a show dog, but as a good, all-around companion dog.  Helen Marshall and Otto Wahl of Shogun Kennels in Wisconsin are very involved in helping hunt test competitors and tracking enthusiasts learn about the Clumber's hunting style and tracking abilities.   Steve and Karen Tallant , also in Wisconsin, are involved with Obedience and Agility work.  Ouiser, and I have started to train for tracking and she has a great nose for birds too. You could say that I just love being with the Clumber.

So, there you have it. The Clumber Spaniel, an intelligent breed which is a great family dog, good with children, that loves people and is not just another pretty face in the world of hunting dogs.

We are proud to be Clumber Spaniel owners and fanciers. When you get to know the breed, you gotta love 'em!

Interested inquiries are always welcome.